Hello and welcome students and parents to our first blog of 2020! The end of last year was insane with a number of our students preparing for HSC meaning that we were somewhat short of time. But we have hit the ground running in preparation of 2020 and we cannot wait to get started.
Of late we have received a number of enquiries about selective high school tutoring sessions and how we can help. So, as always, our mantra is ‘if one person has asked it then someone else is also thinking to ask’ so we will do our best to answer the frequent questions we get asked.
For some background, check out our previous blog on general information about the tests and their foundations here: https://tutoring4all.com.au/selective-high-school-tests-and-opportunity-classes-what-are-they-what-is-their-value/
2020 Tests
NSW Students in Year 6 will complete the test on Thursday 12 March 2020 for Year 7 placement in 2021. So there is about 2 months preparation time between now and then.
During our sessions, one of the primary activities that tutor’s focus on is to review and understand past papers. This helps for a number of reasons including:
- Showing students the types of questions they will be asked. Our tutor’s guide students on the best way to answer certain types of questions in order to best ‘show off’ their skills. The purpose of these tests is to show markers that students have high level skills and abilities which often students have – but struggle to express themselves. This way, our tutors curate their knowledge and show them the best way to communicate their ideas to ensure best marks.
- The test itself can be daunting – even for the brightest of students. For some, this may be the first time they have sat an exam under formal conditions. As our tutors have experienced this same situation themselves, they are able to share their best tips for navigating and understanding the test itself. This develops a high level of confidence amongst students allowing them to perform at their peak.
- Given that the tests cover a variety of different skill sets, some students may be stronger in some areas and lacking in others. To overcome this challenge and ensure that students perform well, our tutor’s take the time to review and assess each of their students and capabilities. Then the tutor and student work together to devise a plan of attack – how they are going to structure each of their sessions to ensure that the challenging areas are better understood but also ensure that their stronger areas are pushed further. Often our students appreciate this approach as it reassures them of their abilities and skills.
- Time management is an issue that lots of students struggle with, for all years and all exams. Even our Year 12’s with HSC! So our tutor’s make sure that they point out tips and tricks for properly managing time during an exam. Things like doing the questions you are confident with first, not spending too long on multiple choice questions and if possible, leaving enough time to go over the test and check their answers.
So as a basic recap, our tutor’s use past papers as a guide to prepare our students for the tests. As we are a one on one service, we are able to have as many or as few sessions as you like in preparation for the exams. We recommend one session weekly for consistency but as the exams approach an additional session works well.
If you have any questions please feel free to get in touch any time!
All the best
The Tutoring4All Team 🙂